Dementor Frenzy

On Saturday morning, November 7th, Skylar woke up early in his dormitory. He planned to go and watch the Quidditch Match that Quidditch, even though he wasn't interested in Quidditch, he knew there would be a good show.

The thunder outside continued incessantly, and fierce winds pounded against the castle's outer walls, not sparing the windows either. When Skylar stepped into the first-floor corridor, he immediately noticed the howling winds and torrential rain outside, which were clearly even stronger than the day before!

Skylar strolled leisurely into the Great Hall, ready to enjoy his breakfast. A short while later, Daphne, Astoria, Meredith appeared in the Great Hall, all wearing thick raincoats. The three women looked at Skylar, who was dressed lightly, and simultaneously showed puzzled expressions.

Their doubts were quickly answered. After breakfast, the four of them went out of the castle together. Outside the castle, the weather was stormy with strong winds and torrential rain, but in order to watch the game, the entire school, as usual, turned out in droves. They ran across the lawn to the Quidditch Pitch, sat in the damp stands, and lowered their heads to ward off the strong winds.

In contrast to their hurried pace, Skylar and the three girls strolled leisurely toward the court. The torrential rain seemed to be blocked by an invisible barrier as it fell around them.

The bewildered Astoria only felt it was incredibly impressive, looking at Skylar with admiration. Meredith, on the other hand, knew how impressive it was, and murmured in astonishment, "Covering the entire body with Water-and-Fire Immunity Charm, and for four people..." Even Meredith, who was used to seeing such things, was still incredulous at Skylar's rapid improvement in strength. She herself had clearly worked so hard, so why did the gap between them seem to be widening?

Five minutes into the game, all the players were soaked through. It was very cold, and many were frozen stiff, making it difficult to see their teammates, let alone the long, erratic Bludger. Everyone was flying around the field, and all that could be seen were blurry red and yellow figures, with no idea how the game was going.

With the wind howling, the spectators hid under capes and umbrellas that had long since fallen apart in the wind, and their cheers and applause could only be faintly heard. Many players were nearly knocked off their Broomstick by the Bludger, and the heavy rain made it almost impossible for anyone to open their eyes; they couldn't even see the ball coming from the other side.

Just after Gryffindor took a 50-point lead, Harry and Cedric suddenly spotted the Golden Snitch at the same time. The two spun around and rushed toward the Golden Snitch. Cedric was closer than Harry, but Harry, with his light build and Cleansweep Seven ability, was faster than Cedric.

Just then, something strange happened. A fearful silence fell over the tiered stands surrounding the stadium—the wind, though still as strong as ever, seemed to have forgotten to howl, as if someone had pressed a volume switch and turned off the sound of the wind.

Like ink spreading outwards from a drop of water, a deep black expanse stretched across the distant horizon. More than a hundred Dementor, drawn by the joyous atmosphere of the Quidditch Pitch, rushed in with a terrifying chill.

The Dementor seemed to have been invited to a grand feast. Dressed in tattered, dark gray cloaks, they drifted about in the air, their rotting hands, oozing pus, trembling slowly outside their hoods. The air was thick with the stench of decaying flesh. Following the patterns of ice crystals in the air, Skylar saw something invisible fly off the stands and be sucked away by the Dementor above—it was the joyful emotion of the young wizards watching the game.

A glint of light flashed in Skylar's eyes. He abruptly stood up, drew his wand, aimed it at the Dementor in the center of the arena, and roared, "Expecto Patronum!"

Immediately, everyone on the field gasped in surprise as they spotted a Dragon radiating a silvery-white mist!

The Dragon's body was larger than a human, even larger than Hagrid, the Half-Giant. Its two large, bat-like wings were spread out horizontally, flapping with a beautiful amplitude. Its lively dragon head was raised high, emitting a proud roar that resounded through the sky!

The Dragon soared rapidly, its body surrounded by a silvery-white mist, as it lunged at the Dementor floating on the ground with overwhelming force.

In mid-air, Harry rapidly approached the Golden Snitch. He was almost there; he was faster than Cedric, but time around him seemed to suddenly stand still. Harry felt as if he had entered a black hole from which he would never escape, helplessly moving forward inside. The temperature around him was dropping lower and lower, his breath began to freeze, and icy rain seeped into his body, cutting into his internal organs.

He heard that sound again, the same sound he'd heard on the train before—someone groaning, groaning inside his head. It was a woman's voice, and she seemed to be pleading with someone to spare Harry.

Then Harry felt dizzy and slid off the Broomstick. Just when he thought he was going to fall like that, a silver-white Dragon suddenly flew down from below, caught the unconscious Harry, and put him on the grass.

The young wizards in the audience were feeling frustrated, powerless, and fearful because of the effects of the more than one hundred Dementor, when suddenly a silver-white Dragon appeared, like a ray of dawn in the darkness, bringing color and light to this gloomy black and white world.

The young wizards all turned their heads, and what they saw was an unforgettable sight—a boy who still looked quite young was pointing his wand at more than a hundred hideous Dementor in the sky.

Compared to the overwhelming number of Dementor in the sky, his solitary figure seemed so small—yet this insignificant figure gave people a feeling of towering grandeur and unwavering strength. In the darkness, his seemingly gleaming eyes were filled with determination. His wand was still held high, constantly spewing white light mist upwards, firmly blocking the path of the Dementor.

Everyone could feel his unwavering determination, which gave the despairing young wizard a glimmer of hope, and even the effects of the Dementor were somewhat diminished—this image was etched in everyone's minds and remained unforgettable for many years to come.

"Look! It's Skylar! That's his Patronus!"

"My God! How did he do that? There are so many Dementor here, isn't he scared?"

"How can we leave him alone...?"

"Skylar, hang in there! We're here to help you!"

As if Skylar's leadership had given them courage, one after another, the young wizards bravely stood up, raised their wands, and chanted the Patronus Charm. Like stars in the night, one after another, silvery-white points of light lit up in the stands. At least forty points of light appeared in the stands, and many of the wands began to materialize into complete Corporeal Patronus.

Draco's Patronus is a Komodo Dragon; Pansy's Patronus is a fox; Daphne's Patronus is a Cobra; Meredith's Patronus is a lynx; Astoria's Patronus is a peacock; Hermione's Patronus is an otter; Luna's Patronus is a hare; Morrie's Patronus is a swan; Penelope's Patronus is a Hen Harrier. Following these nine Corporeal Patronus, white light surged upwards, and countless halos of light scattered in all directions.

The silver-white Dragon charged into the swarm of Dementor, knocking away more than Dementor with a single impact. Then, it vigorously flapped its wings and swung its long Dragon Tail, its four sharp claws swatting away one Dementor after another. The Dragon seemed to be the Dementor's natural enemy, moving freely as if utterly unconcerned about the threat posed by the terrifying Dementor, while the Dementor were scattered in all directions.

The Patronus, following behind the Dragon, launched a second wave of attacks against Dementor, pushing their lines back at least ten feet. Behind the Patronus were the white mists released by the remaining young wizards. Their joy was not yet enough to form physical Patronus, but as the large amount of white mist slowly gathered together, it formed a magical barrier, like a solid city wall, instantly dispelling the fear and cold.

The next second, a melodious cry rang out from the highest point of the castle. A huge, silver-white Phoenix flapped its wings and flew out of the Headmaster's Office — Dumbledore's Patronus!

Skylar sneered inwardly. Our great principal always likes to arrive so late, choosing the last moment to make his grand entrance with the glory of saving the world. This time, he's probably going to miscalculate!

When the silvery-white Phoenix finally arrived at the field, all the Dementor had already been driven to the edge of the field. The Phoenix seemed unwilling to give up its chance to shine, so it fiercely chased after the fleeing Dementor, giving them a final wave of attack. Then, after circling twice in the air somewhat awkwardly, it finally disappeared.

Harry suddenly opened his eyes; he was lying in the Hospital Wing.

The Gryffindor Quidditch player, covered in mud from head to toe, was swirling around his bed, with Ron and Hermione nearby.

"Diggory caught the Golden Snitch!" Fred said. "Right after you fell, he didn't understand what happened. When he turned around and saw you on the ground, he was about to stop the match and reschedule."

"But they won fairly, they won honorably, even Wood admits that," George added.

Harry lay in his hospital bed, listening to Fred and George's discussion without saying a word.

They lost, and it was all his fault; it was the first time he'd ever lost Quidditch Match. About ten minutes later, Madam Pomfrey came and told the team to let Harry rest. The team left, and Madam Pomfrey closed the door behind them. Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance and stayed behind.

"I think I see a lot of Dementor?" Harry whispered.

"There were over a hundred Dementor, Harry!" Hermione said in a trembling voice. "I was so terrified I didn't know what to do. My mind was filled with horrible thoughts. It was Skylar and his Patronus that everyone came to their senses..."

"Enough, Hermione!" Seeing Hermione's expression, Ron's anger suddenly flared up. He shouted, "Skylar's Patronus was useless! It was Dumbledore drove away those Dementor. The Dementor left because they saw Dumbledore coming from afar, and they were afraid of his Patronus! If you ask me, this was all a Slytherin conspiracy. That Malfoy family kid definitely had no good intentions. Think about it, if it weren't for his Patronus, Diggory might have fainted too. If that had happened, Gryffindor wouldn't have lost."

"What are you saying, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise. "If Skylar's Patronus hadn't caught Harry, who knows how badly Harry would have been injured falling from that height!"

Seeing Hermione's state only fueled Ron's growing irritation. A strange anger welled up inside him, urging him to unleash it. Back at the Quidditch Pitch, he had also tried casting the Patronus Charm, managing to make his wand glow only briefly before it vanished. Seeing Hermione successfully unleash the Patronus, he felt a burning, unbearable ache within him, as if consumed by a burning jealousy.

He exclaimed, "Hermione, he's a Slytherin! A Malfoy! His father's Death Eaters! Don't forget, most Death Eaters or Dark Wizards graduated from Slytherin. Ever since you went to that damned meeting, you've been brainwashed, always praising Malfoy!"

"Alright, you two, can't you leave me alone for a bit?" Harry said in a low voice.

Ron's voice trailed off, and an awkward silence filled the room.

Harry didn't understand what was going on with Ron and Hermione. Instead of caring about his physical condition, they were discussing whether Skylar's Patronus Charm had worked. Although he wasn't close to Skylar, he knew that Skylar's Patronus had saved him from serious injury, and he didn't want to speak ill of Skylar behind his back.

"Forget about the Dementor, has anyone gotten my Cleansweep Seven yet?"

"Well, it got blown away when you fell. Then it hit, hit that Whomping Willow," Hermione said hesitantly. "Professor Flitwick had just brought it back before you woke up." She reached for her satchel at her feet and turned it upside down. A dozen pieces of wood and fragments of the broom's tail lay on the bed—the remains of Harry's Broomstick.

The trio of Harry and Mew fell silent.